Taking Medical Clowning Seriously

After being featured on CNN and then highlighted on our blog, isRealli.org, the University of Haifa has created a very serious three-year degree in “medical clowning.”  The program combines the fields of nursing, developmental psychology, physical therapy, history of medicine, along with juggling and improv comedy–necessary for the clowning aspect of the job.

The dual-major degree is meant for students who have never practiced as medical clowns before, yet are hoping to make a career out of bringing smiles to patients’ faces.

According to Dr. Ati Citron, Head of the Theater Department at the University of Haifa, the main objective of the program is to make medical clowning into a recognized profession “in the same league as physiotherapy, speech therapy, and so forth.”

Institutionalizing a medical clowning major is one of the necessary preconditions for this to occur. Dr. Citron explained, “There is a tendency to view the clowning profession as something insincere, something temporary; but medical clowning requires consistency and investment. Academic education and training will testify that this is not a momentary thrill; it will advance the professionalism of medical clowns and will enable therapists to confidently apply clowning tools as effective therapy tools.”

If the academic program has the desired effect, the experience for patients in hospitals will certainly become more pleasant.  And that, is no laughing matter.

The University of Haifa’s website has more information on the medical clowning degree.

Photo by Chealion on flickr, used under Creative Commons License.

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